Centre to launch 4 digital initiatives to promote e-learning

President Pranab Mukherjee will launch the initiatives this week. The initiative include the launch of Swayam — an indigenously designed massive open online course (MOOC), Swayam Prabha — a project for transmitting high-quality educational content through 32 Direct-to-Home channels, National Digital Library – online collection of over 6.5 million books, National Academic Depository – to authenticate all certificates issued by institutions across India.

The Central Government is going to launch four major initiatives to push e- learning in higher education.

President Pranab Mukherjee will launch the initiatives this week. The initiative include the launch of Swayam — an indigenously designed massive open online course (MOOC), Swayam Prabha — a project for transmitting high-quality educational content through 32 Direct-to-Home channels, National Digital Library – online collection of over 6.5 million books, National Academic Depository – to authenticate all certificates issued by institutions across India.

“These initiatives will increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in the higher education from 24.5 (2015-16) to 30 by 2020,” said a ministry of human resource development (MHRD) official.

“The modalities on granting degrees to students undertaking online courses are still under deliberation,” the official added.

According to the MHRD, the students registered with recognised institutes would have the option of earning online credit through programme running on the platform. Through Swayam Prabha, the government would air new content of four hours every day. It would be repeated six times a day.

“The content would be mainly for students from Class IX to XII and those who are preparing for admission into IITs,” the official added.

Nearly 1,000 vice-chancellors of central, state, deemed and private universities along with directors of premier institutes such as Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) were present at the launch.